The Scene After
by Caskett4Life
Summary: After an episode ends, there's always a scene that is still missing. I'm writing an additional scene for (almost) every episode of Castle so fans (and myself) can get some closure... Mainly Caskett, but I'll try to include every major character at least once! (Late) Entry for 2013 Castle Ficathon! Ideas/ Prompts /etc. for future episodes are very welcome - message me or review!
1. Chapter 1

**1x01 - Flowers for your Grave**

_**A/N**_

_**First chapter of my fanfic for the Castle Ficathon 2013! My current plan is to write about 100 chapters with 500-1000 words each. You can probably guess why - one chapter for each episode that already aired (excluding 2x24, 4x23, 5x24 and maybe also 3x24 - I could never write an additional scene for those episodes… If you want to read a fluffy alternative ending for 2x24 - read my story "Everybody Makes Mistakes"! Maybe there'll be more missing, like 3x16 or 4x15 but let's see!)**_

_**I don't have a beta yet, so please forgive me all my faults and typos etc. **_

_**Also, if you'd like to beta for this fanfic, please contact me ASAP! There can be more than one, so don't hesitate because you think I already have one… **_

_**I could really use your help - and just to warn you, you can probably expect questions like "can I do this?" or "Do you think this'll be out of character?"…**_

_**You'll probably also be recruited as my "reminder" - remind me to keep writing, annoy me, make me write faster etc… I think I'll need that, because this is only my third fanfic and I've never written 50,000 words before (excluding a term paper, but that's something different)**_

_**I hope to hear from you soon - and please follow, review & favourite :D**_

Oh god. This couldn't be true. She wanted nothing more than to wipe this stupid grin off his face but she couldn't do that in front of her captain.

He knew exactly how much this would annoy her - and he liked it. Well, two could play this game. She took a deep breath and just brushed past him, without a word. Of course, he followed her, eagerly, like a little kid on Christmas Eve.

"So what do we do now?" he asked as they reached her desk.

She turned around. "I don't know what _you're_ going to do, but I have some paperwork to do. I didn't finish it all last night."

"Paperwork?"

"Yes, Castle. Paperwork. The bad side of being a cop and, just to warn you, it's pretty boring."

"If you think you can get rid of me that easily, you're wrong, Detective. I'm not as stupid as you might think!"

He grinned again but Kate just rolled her eyes and sat down.

"Can I sit down, too?"

Oh, right. He had no chair. But why should she help him with that? She didn't need him here!

"Nothing I say is going to stop you from doing it anyway, right?" She didn't look up, although she really wanted to see his face right now.

"There is no chair."

Okay. Now she HAD to look up - just to show him one of her evil smiles. Throughout the last years, she had perfected it and now, it could really scare off criminals sometimes.

"Wow. That's wonderfully noticed. And what do you want me to do now? Do you think just because you're rich and famous, someone is going to bring you everything you want? This is not how it works here."

He opened his mouth. "I'm not…" but Kate cut him off.

"It doesn't matter what you did or didn't mean. But I won't get you a chair."

He sighed. "Could you at least tell me where to get one? I don't want to run around and look into every room just to find a chair! It'll look incredibly silly!"

Kate chuckled. "At least, we'd have something to laugh about." She turned back to her paperwork with an eye roll but pointed towards the beak room. "Look there."

She heard him go in the direction she had pointed and only moments later, there were other footsteps hurrying towards her desk.

"You sent him to the break room to get a char?" Esposito asked and Kate nodded.

"Did you also tell him which ones are safe to use and that we keep our really good chairs in the storage room?"

"Why would I do that? We can all use some fun, it's going to be annoying enough with him hanging around all the time!" Kate answered which made Ryan laugh a bit.

"He's really going to have a hard time with you!"

Kate was about to answer when the break room door opened and Castle came out. Ryan and Esposito went back to their desks and Kate tried to keep a straight face when she saw that Castle had indeed managed to pick one of the broken chairs.

He didn't suspect anything, just placed the chair next to her desk, put his jacket on its back and let himself fall onto the chair. Although she was prepared for the inevitable loud crash that followed, she winced at the sound and then started laughing.

Castle sat on the floor, very confused, in the remains of his chair. He glanced up at Kate.

"Guess I still managed to make you laugh."

He stood up, removed some splinters from his pants - not that Kate was watching, why should she do that? - and went back to the break room. Before he reached the door, however, he turned to face Kate again.

"Can you please tell me which chairs won't break down when I try to sit on them?"

She raised an eyebrow and didn't answer.

"Please! I don't want to be responsible for ruining all your chairs!"

Kate rolled her eyes but got up and followed him to the break room.

"These chairs", she pointed to a pile in one corner, "are pretty old and squeaky but functioning. The ones standing around are reserved for the people actually working here, and in the back, we have lots of broken chairs and this one stack of good ones"

"Why do you keep those broken chairs then?" Castle asked as he walked to the back. "Wouldn't it be better to throw them out?"

"Well, they can be quite useful when we play pranks on people. Or when we have annoying writers visiting who are too old to stand for a while!"

"Haha," Castle answered dryly and sat down in one chair. When it neither broke down nor made any other suspicious sound, he carried it to Kate's desk.

About ten minutes later, he started shifting in his chair.

Kate tried to ignore it but she couldn't concentrate on the forms with him next to her.

"Could you please stop moving? You're distracting me!" She hissed.

Castle looked up. "The chair is pretty uncomfortable!"

"Wow, now you complain that the chair isn't good enough. What do you expect from NYPD chairs that are probably decades old?"

He opened his mouth but closed it again.

Just as she thought he might have finally understood what she wanted, she heard him murmur:

"I'm so buying a new chair for tomorrow!"


	2. Chapter 2

1x02 Nanny McDead

Richard Castle closed his drawer, with a smile still on his face. Alexis truly was the perfect daughter and she always managed to make him feel better.

He often had wondered if him being her nanny bothered her - and even if Alexis' answer probably hadn't been a completely honest one, it had reassured him that he had made the right decision.

Castle leaned back, closed his eyes and remembered the day Meredith had left them for good. For him, it had been a relief, but Alexis hadn't been able to understand at first that her Mommy wasn't coming back.

Explaining this to her had been one of the most difficult things in his life.

"_Daddy?" Alexis sat in his lap and toyed with the buttons of his shirt. "Where did Mommy go?"_

_Rick took a deep breath. "She's going to live with her special friend now."_

"_The guy who went to the zoo with us last week?" She asked innocently, not realizing what was going on._

"_Yes, sweetie, that one. Did you like him?"_

_Alexis shook her head. "Not really. He didn't let me have ice cream because he said I would only make my dress dirty."_

_Rick smiled. "Do you want ice cream now, sweetie?"_

_Alexis' eyes lit up and she ran to the fridge, patiently waiting there for Rick to get the ice cream. When she had her bowl, they went back to the sofa._

"_Alexis", Rick said, shifting his daughter in his lap so he could face her. "Would you like to move to another city?"_

"_What does that mean, move? Does that mean we take this house and put it somewhere else?"_

_Rick laughed. "Not exactly. It means that we put our stuff in boxes and bring them to a new house and you get a new room!"_

"_A princess room?" Alexis asked and stopped eating her ice cream for a moment._

"_Yes, a princess room, if you want to", Rick agreed. "We want you to have a wonderful new room, don't we?"_

"_What about Mommy? Will she get a nice new room too?" _

_Here it was. How could he explain to his little daughter that her Mommy was gone?  
"Mommy will not come with us. She has her special friend here and her job. But she will come to visit us!" At least he hoped she would. _

_Being who she was, Meredith had vowed to visit Alexis every second weekend but Rick knew that she would never do that. If he got lucky, she would come every second month. But Alexis was satisfied for the moment. _

_After his daughter had gone to bed that day, Rick called his agent in New York and asked for an update on her search for an apartment. _

_Luckily, she had managed to find one. Not too small but also not big enough to feel lonely and in a good neighborhood. Without thinking twice, he told her to buy it so he and Alexis could move as soon as possible. _

_Two weeks later, everything was settled. Rick had packed everything and Alexis had tried to help him - but she was way too excited to actually pack anything except for her armada of stuffed animals. _

_Meredith came to hug Alexis goodbye and then they were on the plane to New York. The time had passed so quickly and Rick hadn't even had the chance to think about Meredith again but now, on the plane, Alexis sleeping next to him, the thoughts came back. _

_What had he done wrong? All he wanted was a loving family for his daughter and Meredith had been too selfish to even try to make it work. Now they were officially divorced and he had sole custody over his daughter. _

_Meredith could continue living her fun, uncomplicated life without constantly worrying about a child at home. Not that she had done it differently in the past years, but now she didn't even have to feel guilty about it. Meredith was happy._

_But as he looked down on his sleeping daughter, Rick realized that he was happy too, probably happier than Meredith would ever be. She would never know what it really meant to be a parent._

_And that was why he made a very important decision. His agent had arranged a meeting with several possible nannies for Alexis. He sent them all away. _

_Some of them were nice, young girls, first time away from home, others were experienced old ladies who would spoil his child rotten and knit her thousands of jumpers and others just wanted to get closer to him but none of them were right. _

_None of them could replace a parent and that's what he wanted for Alexis. A parent, not a replacement.  
He could be a nanny too and that was exactly what he planned to do. Richard Castle, bestselling author, divorced, single parent and now nanny. _

_The tabloids would love that but he didn't care. Meredith was gone and he could decide what to tell the press about himself and his child. He was finally free to do whatever he wanted. _

_Being a nanny. That wasn't something Rick had done before but it was definitely something he looked forward to._

A knock on his door woke him up from his thoughts.

"Everything okay?" Martha Rodgers asked her son. "Alexis told me what you talked about."

Castle smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"That's good, kiddo. And for the record, you raised her better than any nanny could have done." Martha smiled too and disappeared to the kitchen.

Castle looked after her and said to himself, "Yeah, I know."

**A/N: First of all, thanks to everyone who read, favorited, subscribed and reviewed so far! Keep the alerts coming :D**

**I hope you like this chapter, I know it's a bit boring and no Caskett but it was interesting to write… I know some of the details probably aren't right (sorry for that) but that's okay, right?**

**I'm really looking forward to the journey through the seasons of Castle!**

**K**


	3. Chapter 3

1x03 - „Hedge Fund Homeboys"

With a horrified look on his face, Rick Castle turned to face his daughter. Alexis tried a reassuring smile which unfortunately didn't work at all.

"I'm going back in there!" He said and started searching for his keys.  
Alexis darted between the door and her father. "No, you're not going to do that, Dad! First of all, we're going to be late. And second of all - there's no way you can do anything right now! You know Grams!"

"Yes, I know my mother, and that's exactly why I need to go in there! Who knows what she's going to do in there!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I don't really want to know, Dad. And now come on, the cab is waiting!"

She pulled her father towards the elevator and reluctantly, he followed. When the doors closed and the elevator started to move, Alexis took a deep breath. Finally.

Now the only thing she had to do, was NOT looking into her father's eyes because she was a hundred percent sure that he was trying to convince her to go back by using puppy dog eyes. And since she knew it would totally work for her, she decided to avoid looking directly at him. She only had to find something that would distract him until they were further away from the loft.

"How was the case today? Did you close it?" she asked, still looking at her feet.

"What? Yeah, we closed it, one of the kids did it, but come on, we should get back upstairs!" He almost succeeded in pressing the button but Alexis placed herself in front of it just in time. Okay, so not the case. Hmmm. Detective Beckett? It was worth a try.

"So, was Detective Beckett glad you found the murderer?"

Castle looked at her. "Of course, she was. Speaking of glad, I think Mother would be glad if she had me to throw everyone out."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Are you actually this blind, dad? She doesn't want you there, but I want you, with me, on that trip!"

He didn't even listen to her, pacing in the tiny space of the elevator. "Oh, we'll still get there in time! I just need to lock my office so that no one sees the outline for the next book!"

That was it! His book! She had to get him to talk about the new book and then he'd get so distracted that he'd forget all about Martha and the party in the loft!

"You mean, you already have an outline?" Alexis asked and tried to look as interested as possible.

This startled her father and he stopped pacing. "Of course I have, why wouldn't I?"

Alexis shrugged. "You haven't told me much about the new story yet. In the past, you've always done that and then we'd imagine crazy scenarios of which at least one ended up in the final version!"

"I haven't?" Caste asked.  
"No! And I'm curious, because a couple of weeks ago, I was afraid you'd never write again!"

"Oh. Alexis, sweetie, believe me, I didn't mean to shut you out, it's just… this is a new direction and I'm not sure about many things. To be honest, all I've really got is the character!"

"Then just tell me about the character. It's a woman, right?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, a woman, seeing as a woman is the inspiration!"

The elevator dinged and they got out but her father didn't seem to notice, not even when they got to the town car waiting outside and drove away from the loft.

"She'll be tough, I mean, why wouldn't she be, she's a female cop, but she'll also be beautiful and savvy and intriguing. She's different from everyone else and she feels for the victims and the victims' families because she knows what it's like to lose someone."

"She sounds great, Dad! But you have to be careful, she can't be too close to Detective Beckett!"

"Oh, she won't be, I promise. Besides, I've got a name for her, that makes her and Beckett two different people in my mind." He grinned.

Alexis furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay, and what is the name?"

"It's probably one of the best names I've ever invented. Strong consonants, same-sounding vowels, short and yet with meaning…"

"Dad, just tell me the name!"

"…and don't get me started on possible titles! I can already see the cover, she has to be on it, of course, and then the title…"

"Dad!"

"What?"

"Come on, I just want to know the name!"

Castle looked around as if there could be someone listening. "Promise me you won't tell anyone? I'll tell mother soon, but you have to keep it a secret and…"

"Dad!" Alexis noticed that they were almost at the meeting point and if they got out of the car, there was no way he'd tell her the name.

"Alright. Be prepared for the most awesome name you've ever heard - I wonder why I never called anyone like that before!" Castle leaned closer to his daughter and whispered two words in her ear:

"Nikki Heat!"

**A/N: So I finished my next chapter (and I found Internet so I'm able to post it!) Since I had a lot of time, the next chapter will be posted right now too - and there may be more to come this week, so follow me or this story for updates!**

**As always, I hope you like this chapter… **

**I also made a twitter account for this story so I can tweet updates and stuff, you can follow me:**

** TheSceneAfter**

**So read, review, follow, favorite - and please, please, please, if anyone wants to be my beta, please message me! I know I'm not perfect in English so I really could use some help…**

**K**

**P.S. I know that I don't always get all the details right but this isn't (just) about details or exact wording, it's about the story! So please don't judge me for changing small things or forgetting things… Just enjoy reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**1x04 - When the Bough Breaks**

„Castle! Change the name!" Kate Beckett was ready to slap the stupid grin off his face, being at a public event or not. How could he do this? It was already bad enough that he based a character on her, but that name? Who would call their child Nikki Heat? She pictured what would happen at the precinct if the guys found out. God, please not!

She kept following him around the bookstore, but suddenly, someone stood in her way.

"Oh, Mr. Castle, I'm such a big fan!"

Blond hair, fake tan, a pink top that left little to the imagination - Kate didn't like that girl from the beginning. Castle, however, had put on his "I'm-rich-and-famous-smile and focused on the girl.

"Where should I sign?" He asked, pulling out a black sharpie and Kate, who had already noticed that the girl wasn't carrying a book, turned away. She didn't want to witness Castle signing another chest today. There was no point in staying now, she thought, and she could always restart that discussion the next day. But on her way out, someone tapped on her shoulder. She rolled her eyes, half expecting to find her annoying writer and was surprised when she saw his daughter, Alexis, instead.

"Excuse me," the girl said shyly, "but could I talk to you for a second, Detective?"

"Um, sure," Kate was startled but caught herself quickly. "What's up?"

Alexis took a deep breath. "I know I'm not supposed to eavesdrop, but, well, I heard some parts of your discussion with dad. It wasn't that you were very quiet!" She quickly added and turned red.

Kate smiled, making it clear to Alexis that I was okay for her. "Yeah, … I found out about 'my' name and got a little mad."

Alexis looked down. "Can I ask you something?"

Kate nodded. "Sure?"

"What's so bad about Nikki Heat?" Alexis blurted out. "I mean, I can understand that it's not the best name he ever created, but, is it really that bad?"

Kate looked away, avoiding the teenager's gaze. "I don't really know. It's just… being a female detective is not exactly an easy job and I already get teased. I don't need to give them another reason to tease me."

"How do you know that?" Alexis asked.

"Well, it's always been like that, I just know it!" Now that she thought about it, she realized that Alexis could be right. She didn't know what her colleagues would think of the name.

"If I may suggest a scenario," Alexis interrupted Kate's thoughts, "Your colleagues might be impressed. You inspired a best-selling author and now, he bases a character on you. The name doesn't really matter, right?"

With a sigh, Kate nodded. "You could be right. I'll see what happens and then be mad at him."

She was on her way to leave again, but when she saw the look of relief on the young girl's face, she got curious. "May I now ask you why you came here to persuade me? Did Castle send you? Please tell me he didn't, because that would be classless."

Alexis looked down, slightly embarrassed. "No worries, Detective, he didn't send me. But…" she stopped and met Kate's eyes. "Please promise me you won't tell him that it was me who made you change your mind. Please!"

Kate searched the room for Castle and as she found him way out of earshot, surrounded by a huge crown of blond women - who were probably just there to get their chests signed - she nodded. "I promise, Alexis. But why? I sense that you're not telling me everything here."

Alexis smiled nervously. "You're good, detective." She then avoided Kate's inquiring face and talked very fast and very quietly. "He really likes the name and he already worked with it, puns, titles, cover art and so on, so changing it would mean a lot of work and time and I know he wouldn't like the book as much as he does now. It would be different and definitely not good - it's nothing you would understand, because you're not a writer and because you don't live with one, but believe me, you wouldn't want to see him like that. He'd change it for you, if you really wanted him to, but it wouldn't be the same. He'd be incredibly sad at first, and I'm afraid he'd get depressed. Nikki just saved him from a minor depression, he finally started writing again, and if you take her from him, because that's how he would see it, he might go back and…"

Kate held up a hand to stop Alexis' speech. "Alexis, listen. I get it. I really do."

Alexis nodded and blushed. "Sorry. It's just- please don't make him change the name. Tease him about it, that's not so bad, but let him have the name. Yu won't regret it, it'll be great."

Kate smiled. "Okay, Alexis. He can have Nikki. But - don't tell him I said that. I'd really like to see what he comes up with to persuade me that the name's great!"

"Thank you, Detective." Alexis gave her a last quick smile and disappeared into the crowd.

Kate stood there for a moment, and then shook her head in disbelief about what had just happened. His daughter had somehow managed to make her accept the name "Nikki Heat" for her alter ego! She wouldn't have believed that half an hour ago.

Well, at least she could still tease him about it. She left the bookstore with a huge grin on her face. She was going to have so much fun the next day!

**AN: **

**Okay, as promised, here's my next chapter! The idea came after writing the last one, I hope you like it!**

**If you do, please favorite, follow & review!**

**And if you haven't read it in my last chapter: There is a twitter account for this fic where I'll post updates once in a while, so you're welcome to follow me!**

**I know, I'm repeating myself, but… Please, please, please, if you want to be my beta, message me! **

**Love**

**K**


	5. Chapter 5

**1x05 - A Chill Runs Through Her Veins**

Castle took a deep breath and opened the murder file of Johanna Beckett.

The picture of her, pinned on top of it, was floating in his head and he couldn't help but notice the strong resemblance to Kate. Her words about her mother's death had impressed him - and somehow, they made her even more interesting for him.

That's why he was sitting here now, why he did exactly the opposite of what she had told him to do. Nothing of this was for Nikki, though.

Yes, he would probably make Nikki part orphan, most likely it would also be her mother, but he would invent his own story about her death. He knew that he couldn't use any of the information in this file. No, Nikki Heat certainly didn't need this information. Hell, even Richard Castle, the world-famous author, didn't need to know the information. It was the curious, caring Rick Castle inside of him who wanted to know all about that case, who only wanted to be there for his friend - because like it or not, Kate Beckett had become his friend. She probably didn't see it yet, but she definitely was.

He didn't know what he would find but he was willing to help her with this. It was something where he could help, he had friends everywhere.

Kate Beckett brought truth to so many people, it was time she got some too.

Looking at his watch, he realized he was almost late for his dinner date with Alexis and his mother. They had tickets for a Broadway show and according to his mother, every evening spent at the theatre should conclude with eating at a nice restaurant - preferably with her son paying.

Initially, he had wanted to decline but then he had realized that most of his evenings were now spent at the precinct with Beckett and the guys. Castle quickly made his way to the copy machine in the corner, copied everything in the file and placed the copies in an empty folder. After carefully putting everything back how he (or rather Esposito) had found it, he went out of the precinct.

He hailed a cab, gave the driver the restaurant's address and relaxed in the seat. The lights of New York flew by and Castle, who usually couldn't stand any long lasting silence in cars, was suddenly very glad that the cabbie neither turned the radio on nor seemed that interested in starting a conversation. Judging from his looks, he didn't even know that he sat in the same car as Richard Castle - good for Castle, because some of the strangest fan experiences had actually happened in cabs. No, he should think of something else, those memories weren't exactly pleasant ones.

Shortly after, they arrived at the restaurant and Castle spotted Alexis and his mother currently walking towards it. He gave the driver a fifty dollar note without even bothering to wait for his change and got out. His daughter saw him and immediately ran towards him - luckily she was still young enough not to wear murderous high-heels like Beckett did, so Castle didn't have to worry about her tripping or falling - and hugged him.

"Oh, Dad, you should have come too! It was so amazing, really!" she said as she let go of him.

Martha, who was a few steps behind her granddaughter, caught her son's gaze and smiled. Alexis was always enthusiastic after going to the theatre, ever since Martha had taken her to see _Cats_. This enthusiasm would wear off before the night was out.

"Why don't we go in and you can tell me all about it?" Castle suggested, he didn't like standing on pavements too long.

Alexis nodded. "Alright, Dad. Let's go. I'm starving anyway!" She linked arms with him and they made their way to the door.

Castle gave his name and they were led to a nice table somewhere towards the back of the restaurant. He always asked for that, not being in the centre - at least, when he was out with Alexis and Martha. That way, the chance of being seen or recognized shrank and he could actually enjoy his evening without worrying about fans or paparazzi.

They sat down and Alexis immediately started telling him every little details of the play they had watched. Unlike earlier in the cab, Castle was glad about this distraction. It didn't keep his mind off unwanted thoughts for long, and while they ate, everything came back. Even if he didn't want anyone to be upset, even if he really meant no harm to anyone, even if he simply acted as a friend who wanted to help another friend, he suddenly couldn't stop himself from asking one question in his head over and over again: _"Did I maybe go too far this time and was it really the right thing to do?"_

**A/N: So here's the next chapter (sorry it took so long, I was busy the last days...)! **

**Huge, huge, huge thanks to The-KLF who was my beta for this chapter, I'm looking forward to get your edits to following chapters!**

**I hope you like this chapter (yeah, I know, I keep saying that but it's true every time^^), so if you do, follow, favorite, review!**

**K**

**P.S. If you have scenes you want to see, you can tell me! I haven't planned that far ahead so if you think "Oh, I'd love that to happen after that episode", tell me and I'll do my best to make it work!**

**See you soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**1x06 Always Buy Retail**

Castle was just about to get ready for bed when his phone rang. "Castle!" he answered, with a yawn he couldn't suppress.

"Did I wake you or something?" the voice of Kate Beckett said.

"Not at all, Detective! I'm all awake!" Castle really felt the tiredness falling off him as soon as he heard her voice.

"I don't want to disturb you in whatever you're doing, but…"

"You're not disturbing anything", Castle interrupted her.

"Okay." Something in her voice told Castle that Kate was smiling. "Well, we have a body, so…"

"I'll get my coat, tell me where to come! I'll just stop for coffee, I think I might need that to stay awake," Castle put his socks on again and walked to his study to write a note for Alexis and his mother. When Beckett didn't respond, he stopped.

"Detective? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, it is", Beckett quickly said. "But… um… I'm actually already in front of your house." Castle almost ran to his window to peer out; sure enough, there was a single car parked on the street.

"I'll be down in five minutes, we can just stop for coffee together," he said and continued getting ready.

Exactly four minutes and forty seconds later, he knocked on the passenger-side window of Beckett's car. She looked up from her phone and smiled. "Wow, you were quicker than I expected!" she said as she leaned over to open the door for him.

Castle shrugged, "There wasn't much to do. I had just finished a chapter and was on my way to bed when you called."

"Castle, it's 4am!" Beckett furrowed her brows and started the engine, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go back and get some sleep?"

"No thanks," he replied. "Let's get some coffee and then everything will be fine."

"If you say so." Beckett gave him a last glance before she pulled out, "Should I turn the radio on?"

Castle shook his head, "No, there's nothing good on at the time."

"You obviously have had some experience…"

"Actually, yes!"

"Experience in what? Getting thrown out of a woman's house after a more than disappointing night?" Beckett concentrated on the road and tried not to smile too hard when she said that. The downside of that was that she couldn't see his face now.

"That never happened to me. But if you think so poorly of me, I'll gladly prove you wrong. There's a cheap motel right around the corner." Since they were currently waiting at a traffic light, she used the opportunity to twist his ear.

"Ow! Beckett! That really wasn't necessary!" Castle pouted, and she just rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, I just thought I'd help you get rid of that fantasy because that's never going to happen!"

Castle chuckled, "I don't need your help for that, all I have to do is think of Meredith!" He shivered at the thought.

"Really? I'd guessed she'd be sleeping in your bed, waiting for you to come home again."

"In that case I have to disappoint you, Detective. She's gone."

Beckett raised her eyebrows, "What happened there? Last thing I knew was that she was looking forward to moving back here?!"

Castle said nothing but simply stared out of the window.

"I'm waiting," Beckett said, drumming with her fingers on the wheel.

Castle sighed, "She got a part in a movie and went back to California."

"Really? That's…" she searched for the least insulting word, "surprising!"

"You don't need to search for inoffensive words here, Beckett. Just say what you were going to say."

"Okay then," Beckett gripped the wheel to gain courage to actually say it. "How the hell did she get a part in anything?" she finally blurted out.

Castle chuckled, "I've been asking myself that question since we got Alexis."

"Did she bribe the director to give her a part? Or…" The realization dawned on her. "I should have known."

"What?" Castle asked innocently.

"You bribed a director to give your ex-wife a part in his movie so she wouldn't move to New York! That's…"

"Brilliant? Thoughtful? Fantastic? The best plan I ever had?" Castle offered but she just glared at him.

"I was going to say 'lame'."

"Oh,"

"Haven't you thought about, I don't know, talking to her?"

"You have met her Beckett, do you really think I'd be able to keep her from moving to New York by talking?"

"Yeah, you might be right… It's still a lame way of getting rid of your ex-wife. Especially when you apparently still get along well from time to time."

"I don't care if it's lame if it means I've achieved my goal," Castle shrugged. "Besides, who knows how soon she'll come back to ask me for something: acting lessons, another plastic surgery operation… I'm enjoying my freedom without my crazy ex-wife!"

"I can imagine."

"It's not like you…" Castle started but was interrupted by his phone. He checked it and groaned.

"What, bad news?" Beckett asked curiously.

"'Flight was cancelled, took a hotel room by the airport. Waiting for you, k…'" He had been about to read the last word but then decided against it.

"Did she write 'kitten'?" Beckett smirked.

"How did you…" he looked up and noticed that Beckett was leaning over the central console so she could read Meredith's message. "Very funny. But you promised, remember? That also means you never utter that word in my presence!"

"I'm not driving you to the airport by the way. I have a date with a dead body," she opened her door and got out.

Castle immediately followed her and when he stood on the pavement, he turned his phone off.

"Kitten is turning into a cat."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But if I don't get to call you that, you don't either."

"Noted, Detective!"

**A/N: So here's my next chapter - which has been finished since several days but I didn't get to post it... So sorry you guys! But here it is, chapter six of The Scene After, I hope you like it! **

**Chapter seven is almost done too so be prepared for that in the next days!**

**Thanks to The-KLF for being my beta!**

**Keep favoriting, following and reviewing, I love to hear what you think!**

**And like I said, if you have suggestions for me what I could write for future episodes, just tell me! **

**(uofmcowgirl: That's a great idea, but my pattern is to write the scene that follows the last scene, in the case of Final Frontier that'd be Kate dressing up. Maybe I can include the text-message somewhere but I can't promise!)**

**K**


	7. Chapter 7

**1x07 - Home is Where The Heart Stops**

"Oh my god, is that the time? I have to go, I'm meeting some friends in about 20 minutes! It was nice talking to you, Detective Beckett!" Alexis Castle stood up from the still-set breakfast table, went over to kiss her father on the cheek and got out of the loft. Beckett was barely able to shout a goodbye after the girl and looked questioningly at Castle and Martha.

Castle shrugged. "She's like that sometimes."

Martha nodded. "That's our Alexis!"

"She's never too late for anything", Castle explained, "but the moments before she leaves can be quite like…" He paused and searched for the right word, "like a small tornado. You should see her room!"

Beckett smiled. "Yeah, I think I used to be a bit like that, too. I've never experienced what it's like when you get out the door, though."

"Well, it means that the grown-ups have to clean the table." Martha rose and stretched, not bothering to touch a plate or anything else.

"I assume, grown-ups doesn't include you, mother!" Castle smiled at his mother who waved it off.

"I actually have a good reason for skipping the boring stuff! I'm meeting some fellow actors later and I need to prepare for that!"

Castle leaned a bit closer to Beckett and whispered loud enough that Martha could hear them, "By preparing she means putting on her self-made Avocado face mask and taking a nap."

"I heard that, Richard!" Martha said as she went over to the fridge. "Avocados happen to be good for the skin and taking naps refreshes the rest of your body! You should try it too!"

"Only if I break both my legs and am unable to run away!" Castle murmured. Beckett barely held back the chuckle. She wasn't one to bond with people quickly, but that breakfast had changed something in the relationship between her and the two Castle women. She didn't have many female friends and it was nice to talk to other women without them basically forcing her to go on dates with random guys they met at a bar once. And Martha… She was a mother and there is something about mothers that just makes you like them.

"At least I'm staying out of your way when you ask me to!" Martha grabbed a bowl and honey, went to the stairs and then turned to look at Beckett. "It was a pleasure having you here, Detective! I hope we'll see you again soon, maybe Richard will invite you to one of his poker games!"

Beckett smiled. "Thank you, Martha! And thanks again for lending me the necklace."

"Oh, you don't need to thank me for that! It only collected dust so it was nice seeing it being worn once again!" She waved again and disappeared up the stairs.

Castle watched her go and then met Beckett's eyes. She quickly focused on the table and got up. "Where should I put this?", she asked as she grabbed their plates and walked towards the kitchen.

"Don't bother, you don't need to tidy up my table. You go home and when there's a body, call me." Castle took the plates from her and placed them in the sink.

"Yeah, sure. You made breakfast for me, it's only fair if I help you tidy up a bit." Determined not to give in, Beckett placed coffee mugs and empty bowls next to the plates in the sink and let water run over them.

"Um, that's very nice of you, but we actually own a dishwasher." Castle pointed to the dishwasher which was directly next to the sink.

"Oh, right." Beckett opened it and put everything in while she secretly cursed herself. Not that she cared when something embarrassing happened to her in front of Castle, but she could have thought about that. Just because she didn't own a dishwasher at home didn't mean everyone else also didn't have one. They spent the next minutes in silence, passing dishes, and then, the dishwasher was full. Beckett closed it and searched for the power button. When she finally found something, she hesitated. There was more than one button, each with a different picture next to it, and not one of them was obvious. How could she start that damn thing without causing any damage?

"Need help, Detective?" Castle had appeared next to her.

She turned to him. "What makes you think I need help?"

"Oh, just because you've been standing there, watching my dishwasher, for the past five minutes. I figured I'd come to help."

"Yeah, you're quite the knight in shining armor!" Beckett murmured to herself. Castle smirked but decided not to comment on that. Instead, he stepped forward and pushed three buttons.

"This one is for the intensity of the water, this one is for how long it's going to take and that one over here is the start-button," he explained.

"Why do you need so many buttons? What happened to the good old dishwasher with a single power button?"

Castle shrugged. "I didn't buy it, it came with the kitchen!"

"Whatever." Beckett looked around and found the kitchen almost squeaky clean. Since there was nothing left to do, she made her way to the door. Without looking, she knew Castle was following her.

"Um, thanks for letting me stay for breakfast." She said while she put her shoes on.

"No problem, Detective." Castle held out her coat and reluctantly, she let him help her into it.

"By the way, my mother's idea about the poker game isn't that bad. What do you say?"

"Poker?"

"Yeah, you know, the game with cards and chips… But perhaps you're more familiar with strip-poker... in which case I'd be happy to play with you!"

"Keep dreaming, Castle. But, actually, I haven't played poker in a while so… invite the boys and I'm in!"

"Oh, I'm not sure if the boys will want to play strip poker…" He stopped when Beckett reached out to grab his ear.

"Ow! Okay, noted! No strip poker!" Beckett let go and opened the door.

"I'll call you when there's a body."

"See you soon, Detective."

Castle closed the door behind her and she finally allowed herself to grin. A poker game with her favorite author. This should be fun!

**A/N: Next chapter for The Scene After! This is really a lot of fun, I'm really enjoying writing this! Plus, it gives me a reason to watch all the episodes again... **

**This will be the last chapter for two weeks because I'll be on vacation with my family - which means, a lot of time to write! So expect more chapters soon!**

**As always, thanks to The-KLF (also for your advice for this particular chapter!) and thanks to everyone who's reading, reviewing, favoriting etc... Keep doing that!**

**K**


	8. Chapter 8

**1x08 - Ghosts**

Ryan and Esposito stood in the break room, both grinning. "Don't you think it's weird, watching them?" Ryan asked suddenly.

They both looked at each other and simultaneously shook their heads. "Nah," Esposito said. He took another sip from his coffee. "I only wish we had popcorn!"

Ryan snickered but turned his attention back to his boss, currently in a staring contest with her writer tag-along Richard Castle. They had started a poker game about 30 minutes ago and although they were only two people it took forever.

Neither of them wanted to give up, and as Ryan and Esposito knew them, neither would. Both were very competitive and bad losers, so the next days would be hell anyway: If Beckett won, she'd either demand that Castle stayed at home for the next days - which would mean more serious work, less fun and a grumpy Beckett - or she'd tease him mercilessly and their teasing already was almost unbearable to watch. If Castle won, however, he'd walk around like he'd just made a walk on the moon being more annoying than ever and Beckett's bad mood would definitely come back to poor other detectives. So all Ryan and Esposito could hope for was a murder which would distract them. Of course it was wrong to hope for a murder but it was not like they could prevent them from happening here.

Beckett's phone rang. She snapped out, carefully put her cards down and answered. Ryan and Esposito were halfway to their desks when they caught her gaze and she waved them off. "Yeah, Lanie, I'll call you back. I'm kinda busy at the moment," they heard her say with an eye roll, obviously annoyed that her best friend had disturbed her poker game.

Great. No body. Ryan and Esposito went back to the break room. Ryan looked at his now cold coffee. "I'll go make some fresh coffee, you want one too?" he asked his partner. Esposito nodded and handed Ryan his also empty cup. "But call me when anything happens!" Ryan added as he walked to the espresso machine Castle had bought a couple of weeks earlier.

Esposito chuckled. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. I wouldn't be surprised if they still sat here tomorrow morning!" Ryan grinned and started to make the coffee.

Suddenly, something changed in the behavior of Castle and Beckett.

"Ryan!" Esposito hissed, so Beckett wouldn't hear him, and Ryan was by his side immediately.

"What's going on?" he asked Esposito pointed at the desk where both poker players looked somehow relaxed. Castle even grinned a little, it looked like his playboy-smile that was only supposed to drive Beckett crazy.

"I honestly thought they'd have better poker faces," Esposito noted. Ryan slowly shook his head.

"Actually, the thing they're doing is the master of poker faces. You let the other person think you lost your poker face but you're still totally in control of what you're doing. You can for example trick people into rising when you look like you have nothing or the other way around."

Esposito looked at his partner. "How the hell do you know this? You're horrible at poker!"

Ryan shrugged. "I played a lot of poker with my elder cousins when I was younger. I didn't win once and one day, they told me their secret. They never taught me, though…"

Esposito chuckled. "I don't think it's working for Beckett. Look at her, she'll never believe him!"

Right in that moment, Beckett went all in and relaxed back into her chair. Ryan and Esposito gasped.

"Either she has a really, really good hand or she is a master in seeing through Castle's eventual bluff!" Ryan said. Now his next move is very important!"

"Sure it is, you poker expert! And now, shhh!" Esposito made a strange hand gesture and Ryan closed his mouth to concentrate on the game again - just in time to see Castle go all in, too.

Now he really grinned, a true Richard-Castle-smile that made his eyes sparkle, and said something to Beckett. After a short pause - Ryan suspected she rolled her eyes at him - she nodded. They swapped places and, without looking away, took each other's cards.

The moment Beckett saw Castle's cards, she gasped and shook her head in disbelief before looking again. She frantically grabbed her own cards from Castle's hands and compared them. She put the cards on the table and shook her head again. Then she started to laugh and after just a split second, Castle joined her. Finally, she stood up, still laughing.

"Come on, Castle, let's get the gummy bears," she said and led Castle to the locker room.

Ryan and Esposito hurried over to Beckett's desk to look at the cards. When they saw the result, they couldn't help but grin widely. Two identical hands, two Royal Flushes - two winners and two losers. Leave it to Castle and Beckett to get a tie in poker.

"I think I gotta put some more money in their pot," Esposito murmured to himself.

**A/N: So I'm back (basically since last week but I only got the time to upload the new chapters now) and guess what? You'll get three chapters today (yay^^)!**

**I just want to say thanks for reading, reviewing, following etc., keep doing that, it makes me happy! And since the lovely people from the Castle Ficathon 2013 pushed the deadline back a bit, I'm still able to reach my goal of 50,000 words - thanks! **

**Also thanks to The-KLF - you know why, I don't think I need to repeat every time what a wonderful beta you are (and I just repeated it...)**

**So see you soon!**

**K**


	9. Chapter 9

**1x09 - Little Girl Lost**

Kate still grinned on her way out of the precinct. She just loved teasing her writer. Her writer? Where did that thought come from? But it was kind of true. He hadn't come to shadow Ryan or Esposito or even Montgomery. He shadowed her. He rode in her car, he sat in interrogation with her and he sat next to her desk - just like he did now.

Kate risked a short glance back before she stepped into the elevator. Yes. He still stared after her. He probably just tried to figure out how to find out who her date was - like he could ever do that. She was way too careful that he didn't know too much about her and she doubted he knew the restaurant where she was headed right now. When she reached her car, her "date" was already waiting. Kate smiled and went towards her car.

"You're late!"

"I'm sorry, I was delayed." Kate opened her door and got in the car.

"Uh-huh. Any chance that delay was caused by a certain writer you never want to talk about?"

Kate narrowed her eyes. "That's none of your business."

"Oh, so it was him! Now spill, girl!"

"I told you, it's none of your business what goes on in homicide!"

"Please, Kate. Everything in this building is my business, from Robbery to Homicide to Vice!

Even if I'm just a M.E. here and work down in the morgue all day doesn't mean I don't know what's going on!"

"Lanie!" Kate shot her best friend a glare.

Lanie grinned. "You know I'm right, honey. Now come on, I want details!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "There are no details!"

"Tell that to the new guy in Vice, he's so gullible, he'd believe the moon was made out of cheese if you sounded convincing enough!"

"Really? They have a new guy in Vice?" Kate asked. She'd gladly listen to loads of stories from other departments if she only didn't have to talk about Castle.

"Yeah they have, but we're not finished. When I'm satisfied, I might tell you the story." Lanie leaned back and looked at Kate expectantly.

Kate sighed. "It's really not that interesting, he asked me if I had a date tonight, I told him I had and he wanted to find out with whom."

"I don't believe that's all."

"It is, Lanie! Believe me! I left him guessing and went down to meet you! You should have seen his face," she added with a smirk.

Lanie laughed. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, girl! That poor man!"

"Why do you say he's poor? He isn't, this is all his fault!"

"Someday you're going to regret that you can't stop teasing him…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kate frowned.

"Nothing…" Lanie looked out of the window.

"Lanie!"

"Look, we're here!" Lanie pointed outside and sure enough, there was the restaurant they always went to.

"You don't get away that easily," Kate shouted after Lanie, who was already standing on the pavement to wait until Kate had parked her car. Lanie, however, was even better than Kate in not telling things she didn't want to tell people and kept a good distance between them. When Kate reached the door, a bit out of breath from trying to catch up with Lanie, a waiter smiled at her and opened the door.

"I guess you're here with the woman who came in a minute ago?" he said.

Kate simply nodded and the waiter led her inside. She thanked him with a smile and spotted Lanie on the other side of the room.

"Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do here," she said as she sat down.

Lanie raised her eyebrows. "I have no idea what you're talking about, honey. I already ordered some wine for us and Mario should be back with the menu soon."

"Mario?"

"Yeah, new guy. I read his name tag, he's cute! Totally your type, we can set you up with him, if you want to!"

"Uh, no thanks, Lanie. I think I had enough guy trouble in the last days."

"Oh, yeah, I heard." Lanie avoided looking into Kate's eyes. "How's Will doing?"

Kate shrugged. "Good, I guess. We didn't talk that much."

"So you did something else, then? That's far more interesting than any Castle-story, now tell!"

"We didn't do something else, Lanie!" Kate blushed, remembering the kiss. "Well, not exactly… God, I don't know how to explain it."

"You're blushing, sweetie, that means something happened. Why don't you start by telling me what that was?"

Kate started to play with the candle standing between them. "It was just one kiss last night and he initiated it. I didn't realize what he was doing or I would have stopped him. It was awkward and… yeah, that's it."

Mario chose that moment to appear with the menus.

"Thanks," Kate murmured, not really paying attention to him. She was still thinking about Castle and how strange he had looked when he walked in on her and Will. But that wasn't something she'd tell Lanie.

"So, he kissed you. Did he say anything or did he just want a night 'for old time's sake'?"

Kate shook her head. "No, he's not like that. He… Um, he kinda asked me out and I said no, so he left again."

"Kinda asked you out?" Lanie now pushed her menu aside, apparently she had already decided on something.

Kate opened her menu and pretended to study the offered dishes. After a while she looked up and met Lanie's inquisitive eyes.

"Okay, he really did ask me out, to start again."

"And why did you say no?" Lanie wasn't laughing or smiling and Kate knew she was really serious and tried to be just the friend Kate needed right now.

Kate sighed. "I did love him once. I think I still do in some ways. But… what he's done… That's not something you can just forget."

"You're afraid he'll leave you again." Lanie stated.

"He said he'd just take me with him the next time." Kate smiled sadly. "And that's the reason. He doesn't accept what I want, what I dream of. His job always comes first, I've gotten used to that and I know it now, with him, I would only be on fifth, maybe fourth place. That's not a good foundation for a relationship, is it?"

Lanie shook her head. "He's a fool for letting you go but you'd be a fool if you took him back. You'll find someone much better."

Kate was about to answer when Mario appeared again. That guy really had impeccable timing! "Um, I'll take the spinach lasagna, please." She didn't care much about what she ate, everything at this place usually tasted heavenly - at least compared to all the takeout!

Lanie ordered chicken with rice and as Mario left, she leaned closer to Kate. "In my opinion, you should definitely start looking for a new guy. And if you really don't want our handsome waiter, I'm sure Writer-boy wouldn't say no to you…"

Kate nearly choked on her wine and Lanie watched her with innocent eyes.

"Definitely not, Lanie!" Kate managed to say between coughs.

Lanie shrugged. "Alright, it's your choice!"

"Can we change the subject now, please?"

"Sure, Kate! How about I tell you a really awesome story about the new guy in Vice involving a hooker, a clown, a plastic bag and a bunch of red roses?"


	10. Chapter 10

**1x10 - A Death in the Family**

Kate Beckett didn't waste another second. She didn't have to listen anymore. She didn't have to be forced to listen to something she didn't want to. No one could do that! Especially someone who so blatantly misused her trust. She had really thought he was different. Just different, not like this! It wasn't fair. Why did the people she trusted the most always betray her? When she got to her car, her phone beeped.

A reminder for dinner with her dad. God, not this! Not today! She had completely forgotten about it, but now it was too late to cancel. She couldn't. Kate took a deep breath, wiped away the few involuntary tears and got in her car.

When she drove out of the hospital garage, she turned her radio on. Normally, Kate Beckett wasn't one to listen to music while driving, but today, she really needed the distraction. It didn't always have to be this difficult to meet her dad for dinner, they could always choose a different restaurant - but neither of them wanted to. And now she also had to worry about Castle - she only hoped her dad wouldn't see it right away.

She arrived at exactly 7 pm. Not a minute too late - even if she had crossed about four red lights - and just when she got to the restaurant door, her father got out of a taxi. Kate felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

He was there. This was all that mattered in that moment. This was the one appointment where you couldn't be late and shouldn't be early. One person was always going to worry. He immediately saw her, came to her and hugged her.

"Good evening, Katie," he said. Kate tried to look like she hadn't just cried on an empty parking lot.

"Good evening, dad."

Jim Beckett let go off her and looked at his daughter. "Your hair gets longer," he noted.

Kate nodded. "I'm letting it grow out. It got way too short the last time."

Jim smiled and pointed at the restaurant. "Shall we go in?" Kate followed him inside and instinctively made her way to the table by the second window on the right. When they sat down, the owner of the restaurant, Antonio, came to them.

They had to get up again to hug him and to assure him they were both okay. Antonio obviously didn't believe them but soon went back to the kitchen. He didn't even ask for their order - he didn't need to. They always took the same. The same they had also ordered on that one night almost ten years ago: Saltimbocca with potatoes for Kate and Penne al Pesci for Jim.

They waited for their meals in silence, neither of them was a big fan of words - and to be honest, neither knew what to say. Kate still thought about what Castle had done and Jim tried to figure out what was wrong with his daughter. In the last weeks she had seemed happier, more relaxed and suddenly, there was a certain sadness in her eyes.

"Katie?", he finally said.

Kate looked up and tried to smile. "Is… is everything alright?" Jim took his daughter's hand. Surprised, she looked into his eyes and he saw the answer to his question. She wasn't okay. "What happened?", he simply asked.

"It's really not that important, Dad." Kate pressed her lips together and pulled her hand back. "I can handle it."

"You don't have to."

Kate sighed. "It's about Mom."

Jim's reassuring smile fell. This was actually one of the first times they openly mentioned her in this restaurant and it always brought back unpleasant memories.

"I mean… it's not exactly about her, it's about her case", Kate continued, fiddling with her napkin. "I put it past me and I'm okay with that. I really am. But Castle…"

Jim's eyes widened. "You told him about her? Did he force you to tell him? Is that why?"

"No!" Kate shook her head. "I told him a couple of weeks ago and that's not what this is about. I just told him, he kind of deserves to know. Well, I thought he did. But… he couldn't stay away."

"What do you mean, stay away?"

"He somehow managed to get his hands on her file. Probably bribed a guard or something." Kate made a mental note to ask Ryan and Esposito if they knew anything about this. "And he looked into it. He showed it to a friend and apparently, that friend is a whole lot better than the M.E.s working the case."

"And?" Despite the fact that he knew, what this meant for his daughter, Jim was curious. "Did he find something?"

Kate nodded. "He did. Castle said something about one single wound that caused her death and something about the other wounds having occurred postmortem."

Jim raised his eyebrows. "Something about? Didn't you listen to him?"

"Not really, no. I kind of ran away, somehow managed to get to my car and then I drove here. Don't ask me how much time I spent walking through corridors, looking around every corner so I wouldn't have to meet him." Kate gave him a sad smile. "It looks like I really can't trust many people anymore."

"Why can't you trust him anymore?" Jim asked.

"I… I told him what this case means to me. And he still had to investigate. He can't let go. I trusted him with information only a few people know and he… he didn't think a second about what this would mean for me." A single tear formed in her eye and she quickly brushed it off. She wouldn't cry because of him.

Jim reached out for her hand again and this time, she took it and didn't pull back. "Let me ask you one thing, Katie," he said. "If you could go back, would you still tell him?"

"Yes." Kate had spoken without thinking about it and now bit on her lip. "I mean…"

Jim shook his head. "If that's your answer, then there's no reason not to trust him anymore."

"Dad…"

"I know, I know, it's none of my business. It really isn't. But you are. And trust me when I tell you that you should not let this be the end of whatever it is you two are having. You're smiling again, Katie."

Kate sighed. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking for." Jim smiled. "And now let's eat, or Antonio will be mad at us for not eating his food!"

**A/N: New chapter either tomorrow or on Friday! And with this chapter, I'm done with season 1! Now only... 4 seasons left ;)**

**As always, I hope you like it, if not, let me know if there's anything I could improve! Also, if there's anything you want to see in future chapters (aka after future episodes), tell me and I might use it!**

**K xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**2x01 - Deep In Death**

"I'll see you tomorrow." Kate pretended to focus on her paperwork as Castle walked out but as soon as he was around the corner, she couldn't hold back her smile any longer. Her writer was back.

To be honest, she was glad he'd found a way to persuade her to take him back. She never would have thought that all it would take to forgive him was a heartfelt apology. Now that she thought of it, she actually had forgiven him ages ago, she just hadn't wanted to admit it until that day.

"Katherine Beckett!"

A voice suddenly called out and seconds later, its owner stepped around the same corner as Castle just moments ago. Arms at her hips and her eyes fixed on Kate, she marched towards her desk.

"Hello to you too, Lanie!" Kate turned on her chair and looked expectantly at her best friend.

"Oh no, don't you try and pretend you don't know what I'm talking about and why I am here, girl!"

Kate raised her eyebrows and Lanie sighed. "I know you don't always notice it, but you've got to stop this! Get over it and call the poor guy!"

Kate looked to the floor to hide a smirk. Of course. Lanie didn't know yet that she already had taken Castle back. She knew she'd probably regret this later but for now, her mood was far too god not to have a little fun with her best friend.

"I'm not sure, Lanie.. I mean, remember what he's done…"

"Exactly, Kate!" Lanie interrupted her. "All those things he has done for you - and you just let him go?"

"Lanie…" Kate pleaded but the woman wouldn't let her.

"Don't 'Lanie' me and open your eyes instead! And if you're really too stubborn, then at least listen to me! You can't send that man away. This is the one thing you just can't do! It'll crush him, you know how excited he gets when he gets to go to a crime scene."

"But I'm still mad at him! Don't you understand that?"

Lanie sighed and sat down in Castle's chair.

"You can be mad at him. But be mad at him while he's here. That'll make it easier for both of you, trust me!

"I'm just not sure if…"

Lanie's glare was getting frightening now, like a hungry animal eyeing its prey. "No 'ifs', Kate. For once in your life, listen to someone who's trying to tell you what's good for you. And believe me, girl, that mad is good for you. You might not want him back right now, but I bet that you'll be all grumpy in less than a week and then it might be too late to get him back! You can't wait forever!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I can manage to live without him - and it will certainly be for more than a week!"

Lanie opened her mouth but was cut off by the telephone on Kate's desk ringing.

"Beckett!" Kate answered while Lane mouthed "We're not done yet!"

After writing down the address, Kate called out to Ryan and Esposito. They appeared in the door to the break room, coffee mugs in their hands. One look at Kate told them their break was over and they both made faces.

"Sorry for interrupting your precious break, but we've got a body. Go ahead, I'll meet you there." Kate handed Ryan the address and they were off after a friendly nod to Lanie.

"You'll meet them there?" Lanie looked at her surprised. "Do you have something to do?"

"I have to pick someone up on the way," Kate simply stated as she put on her coat and her scarf.

Lanie gasped. "You'll take him back? Seriously? I'll come with you, I so want to see that! Oh the day Kate Beckett actually listens to me! Can we stop for flowers?"

Kate smirked. "Lanie, stop it! I'm not going to take you with me, you have your job to do and maybe you'll get called to another crime scene! Besides," she added, "if you want to see it, you should get yourself a time machine, like that blue one from that BBC show you love, and travel here to about five or ten minutes before you came to see me! But since I didn't see you, you probably won't manage that. Maybe you can get your hands on the surveillance footage!"

"What?" Lanie stood up and looked after Kate who quickly walked towards the elevator. For a few moments, she was frozen at her spot but then, she ran after her friend.

"Kate! Are you telling me you actually fooled me this whole time? I gave you that speech basically for nothing?"

"You should really work on your timing, dear Lanie," Kate said and stepped inside the elevator.

Lanie sadly arrived just in time to see the doors close but still managed to shout after her. "You'll pay for this, Katherine Beckett!" through the last bit of opening before the elevator descended and Kate with it.

Kate grinned and leaned against the wall. Oh yes. It had totally been worth it!

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry, I'm two days late with this chapter, but I hope you won't be mad with me and continue to read my story!  
**

**So here comes the first chapter of Season 2 - as always, I hope you like it, and if you do, follow, favorite, review!**

**K xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**202 - The Double Down**

They were still arguing when they got out of the precinct because neither wanted to give up. Beckett and Castle thought they should get credit for the awesome idea they'd had - admittedly it had been Castle's idea - and Ryan and Esposito claimed they had cracked their guy first and therefore had won the bet. Unfortunately for both teams, the terms of the bet were not exactly clear and no one could legitimately claim the money.

"I have the money!" Castle said. "I should get to decide who has won the bet!"

"Keep dreaming, dude, there's no way we're letting you decide that!" Ryan fist-bumped Esposito.

"As funny as you are, fighting like that, I'd like to go home soon. Could we please agree on something?" Beckett suddenly interrupted them. They had been standing in the lobby for about ten minutes now and she was getting bored.

"Seeing as I'm the woman here, why don't we just let me decide?"

All three guys looked at her. "You think just because you're a woman gives you the right to decide?"

"Sorry, Beckett, but you'd be just as biased as Castle is."

She groaned. "Then please come up with a solution. Quickly!"

"Why don't you help us come up with one?" Castle said with a quirk of his eyebrows.

"May I be allowed to suggest something?" A voice asked from behind them.

"Oh, um, good evening, sir!" Beckett looked embarrassed and tried to look away.

"Am I right with my assumption that you're still arguing who won your little bet?" Captain Montgomery looked at each of them in turn.

"To be honest, sir, yes, we are!" Ryan stepped forward as if to take the blame for everything.

"And none of you will give in, correct?"

They just nodded. "That's good, because it shows me that you are good detectives." Montgomery raised his eyebrows as if he was expecting them to say something. When nothing came because his three best detectives and their writer were still trying to figure out what exactly was going on, he decided to just tell them what his idea was. "Anyway, why don't you say that all of you won the bet, as a team?"

"And who would get the money then?" Esposito pointed to the envelope with dollar notes that Castle was still holding.

"Well, did anyone bet that you'd both solve your cases at the same time?" Montgomery decided this was a too obvious hint not to be understood, nodded to each of them and took his leave. Realisation dawned on Castle and Beckett, the former of which immediately pulled out his list and checked. Ryan and Esposito looked at each other.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Esposito whispered to Ryan, who shrugged.

"No idea..."

"Really? You didn't get that?" Beckett, who had noticed their ignorance, asked them with a smirk.

"Seriously, guys, what do you know about betting?" Castle shook his head and moved on with reading names on his list. Shortly after, he was finished and grinned widely.

"None of them bet that we'd both win. They all took sides. Suffice to say, I'm more than disappointed in some of them, but..."

"Castle, come on bro! What's your point here?" Esposito cut him off.

"His point is, that no one on that list won." Beckett answered for him.

Ryan and Esposito looked disbelieving at first, then at Castle. "Can you give us the long version please?" Ryan said.

Beckett rolled her eyes but let the writer explain everything again.

"You know, when you bet, the one who guessed right gets all the money," Castle started. "And when more than one person guesses the same thing, the money is split between them according to what they originally gave. For example, Montgomery, who-" he checked his list "-bet fifty on Beckett and me, would get more than LT, who only bet fifteen."

"Montgomery put fifty on you two?" Ryan took the list from Castle.

"And I thought he was a good guy!" Esposito added.

"Let's not argue about Montgomery's impeccable opinion, guys, that's really not relevant."

Castle took the list back and continued with his explanation. "In our case, however, no one bet right. The option 'both teams win' wasn't taken by anyone, ergo no one has won. The question is, what to do with the money, now that no one's getting it..."

Finally, Ryan and Esposito also understood what the point of their Captain and then Castle and Beckett was.

"Well, we could donate it to a good cause?" Ryan suggested and earned a glare from his partner.

"If you see 'spending it at the bar around the corner so they will have some more income' as a good cause, I'm in!" Esposito said.

Castle looked at Beckett and raised his eyebrows. Although none of them would ever admit to it, they let Beckett decide in most cases.

She shrugged. "I suppose that's as good a cause as any other."

Castle looked into the envelope. "Well, looking at what we got here, this is going to be a long night, guys!"

**A/N: Alright, next chapter! I'm a bit in a hurry, so just quickly - I hope you like it, if you do, follow, favorite, review!**

**And The-KLF - thanks as always for being such an awesome beta!**

**K xx**


	13. Chapter 13

203 - Inventing the Girl

Martha helped him prepare the meal and then went off to go meet some acting friends. Castle often wondered how many friends she actually had, but apparently, you meet a lot of people when you are in a theatre production. And his mother had been in many of them!

He knocked on his daughter's door and asked if the two girls needed anything. Alexis only told him to go away, while a guy with surfer-boy-hair and a girl with long brown waves sang to each other on a stage while a moon slowly descended. If his daughter really still liked stuff like that, he didn't have to worry at all. Rena said nothing but pointed at the tray full of snacks and drinks to signal Castle that they had enough. He nodded, closed the door and went down in his study.

Now, he had a phone call to make and he was certain he wouldn't like it. He just had to keep telling himself he was doing it for Beckett. And so, he finally retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialled the number of his ex wife.

"Rick, I hope you're not calling to change the dedication again!" Gina said as she picked up. "I had to delay the production twice already because you changed your mind! I'm not doing again, no matter how special that girl is!"

Castle rolled his eyes. "Let me stop you right there, Gina, I'm not calling about the dedication. I'm satisfied with it now - at least I hope I am. I won't be able to tell you that for sure until she reads it."

"God, Rick," Gina groaned, "You're making her way too important! She hasn't even slept with you, and from what I hear, she has no intention to do so in the near future!"

"Gina! Can you please stop talking like that about Beckett? It's not fair to her when you do it behind her back!" Castle had almost added another comment, one that wasn't so friendly, but them he reminded himself that he had called his ex-wife for a reason. He had to stay nice and calm.

"Alright, I get it, you don't want to talk about her, you don't want to talk about Nikki Heat, then why are you calling me?" Castle could almost hear her tapping her fingers against her desk. She always did that when she grew impatient.

"To be honest, it has got something to do with both, just not directly..." he started but Gina cut him off.

"Save your long speeches for your books! You might even start writing them again soon, I'll tell you details soon. Just get to the point, Rick!"

"Alright, alright!" Castle took a deep breath and then came forward with his request. "I need an advance copy of Heat Wave as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow."

"Let me guess. It's for your precious detective, am I right?"

"That's not the point here. Can I get it or not?"

"Is she trustworthy? You know I don't like giving out advance copies of your novels. How do we know she's not telling the press some details? And then, we're screwed and you can forget about any favours from me in the future!" Gina had let go off her 'ex-wife'-tone and switched to publisher, who was concerned about the next best seller.

Rick chuckled, "I don't think Beckett would ever do that. She's just a fan who wants to read my new novel as soon as possible. Plus, she's the inspiration, so I think she kind of has a right to read it before the public does."

"I hope you're right," Gina sighed. "But tell her, that this is the final version, she can't force you into making any changes."

"Why do you think she..."

"We both saw her at your reading a year ago. She almost made you reconsider the name!"

"It won't happen. I'll tell her," Rick smiled at the thought of telling Beckett he wouldn't be able to change a certain scene... "So can I have the copy or not?"

Gina sighed again. "Alright, Rick. I'll send it to you in about ten minutes. But the next time, be a bit earlier if you want to give her this privilege again. Has she received the invitation to the launch party yet by the way?"

Castle nodded, before he realised she couldn't see him. "Yeah, I gave it to her personally."

"Good, then I can tell the press that Nikki Heat is coming. They will be so excited!"

"Gina, Beckett is not..."

"I know that, but the press will probably always see her as Nikki. She can't do anything against it. So, is there anything else?"

"No. At least not tonight," Castle grinned, satisfied with the phone call.

"Great, then I can get back to work. You'll have the ARC tonight on your doorstep."

"Thanks!" was all Castle managed to say before Gina was gone. He put the phone down and pulled out a piece of paper. If he got Beckett's copy first, he could also write her a little note… She probably wouldn't like it, but with page 105, he didn't think he could do any worse!

**A/N: So, next chapter of The Scene After! Thanks to everyone who's reading, I love reading your comments (I hope it's okay if I don't respond to them, I just say thanks to everyone in general - unless it's a scene suggestion^^) and I hope you'll all stick with me until the end!**

**Also, The-KLF, you're awesome, but I think you already know that, judging from the number of times I've already mentioned that!**

**So, review, favorite, follow & make me happy!**

**K xx**


	14. Chapter 14

**204 - Fool Me Once**

When the door closed, both Castles let out a sigh of relief. They could still hear faint violin scratching, but as soon as they stepped into the elevator, it was quiet. "I really love Gram, but this is just not tolerable!" Alexis sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I know, sweetie," her father said. "But if you really love someone, you patiently wait until it gets better. After a time, you even get used to that horrible screeching."

Alexis looked affronted, "I wasn't that bad."

Castle intentionally didn't look his daughter in the eye. He remembered too vividly the times when the most horrible sounds came from her room and how difficult it had been to keep a smile on his face when she came to him to play a new piece.

"Was I really?" Alexis asked shyly. "I'm really, really sorry, Dad!"

Castle laughed, "It's okay, sweetie. You got better quite soon and even if it can be very annoying to hear 'Amazing Grace' about twenty times a day, I would do it again in a heartbeat. You play beautifully now and I could spend hours just listening to you playing Bach or Beethoven or Mozart..."

"Really?" Alexis still looked as if she didn't believe him. Well, she was right not to, he had sweet talked things quite often so she would be satisfied.

Castle raised one hand. "Really. I'm not lying to please you this time. Scout's honour!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Dad, you were never a boy scout!"

"Seriously? What counts for you if I can't even use that one anymore?"

"Give me a few years of brutal honesty and everything will be fine."

Castle feigned ignorance. "I'm always brutally honest!"

Alexis just stared at him until he gave in.

"Alright, fine, maybe I'm not always brutally honest, but I promise you, I will at least try to be it in the future! Starting now. What would you like to know?"

Alexis crossed her arms. "I'm still not sure if I can trust you."

"Alright, I swear to you on my Boba Fett that I will be honest."

"Really? Well, if you swear on Boba, there's not much I can say..." She smirked.

"Keep making fun of him and he'll be in your room one night!"

"What happened to brutally honest?"

Castle raised his hands, "That was just teasing. Now come on, ask me something."

"Fine." Alexis seemed to think for a moment, then got a kind of evil glistening in her eyes and Castle gulped. It was his little daughter... but who knew what she would ask him!

"What did Detective Beckett say to your steamy little scene on page 105?"

Castle's mouth stood wide open. "I told you not to read it!"

"Dad, there's much worse stuff in my biology book from two years ago! Besides, it's not like that scene is telling me to go out, find the next best guy and make out with him!" Alexis rolled her eyes again. "Now, brutally honest please?"

"Well, I can't actually say what she thought of it. I haven't spoken to her since she's read it, but I'm very sure I get to ask her tomorrow."

"You mean she hasn't read it yet? Didn't she make you get her an advanced readers copy?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, she did. But I'm fairly certain she has already."

Alexis narrowed her eyes at his cheerful tone. She knew her dad and this tone always meant he had something incredibly stupid.

"Dad, how can you be sure? And I expect the whole story!"

"Why do you think there's a story?"

A glare from his daughter made him sigh. "Alright there is a story." Right at that moment, they arrived at the ground floor and got out of the elevator.

"Italian, Chinese or Greek?" Castle asked his daughter, pointing in three different directions. "I'd say Greek, we haven't been there in weeks!"

"Yeah, Greek sounds good, dad. But don't you dare change the topic, you promised me brutal honesty, remember?"

Alexis linked arms with her father and led him in the direction of the Greek restaurant. Castle took a deep breath, "Okay, I might have followed her when she went to read the book, and helped her find that certain scene."

Alexis shrugged. "So what? You follow her around all the time, why are you suddenly so secretive about..." She stopped and her eyes went wide. "Dad, where exactly did you follow her?"

Castle looked at his feet and murmured, "Ladies room."

Alexis stopped walking and stared at her father in horror, "You did what?!"

**A/N: So, next chapter! I'm not that creative in writing these notes, so my sincerest apologies, you don't have to read them!**

**Basically, I always say the same stuff: Review, Follow, Favorite and make me happy, you really are awesome and I want to thank every single reader out there! **

**So until the next time,**

**K xx**


	15. Chapter 15

205 - When the Bough Breaks

"You coming, Castle?" Beckett turned around, phone still in her hand and looked expectantly at the writer. He stood there for a split second, obviously still in shock about what had just happened, but then realised she was waiting for him.

"Um, yeah!" He managed to say and ran to catch up with her.

Surprisingly, he kept quiet the entire way to her car and Beckett was starting to get irritated. He usually wasn't able not to say anything for that long unless something was bothering him. So when they sat in her car, she turned to him.

"Castle."

He raised his eyebrows. "What? Is everything alright? If you give me the address, I can take a cab to the crime scene if that's what you want."

"See! That's what's going on!"

"What do you mean?"

She gestured towards him with one hand, "You! You're acting differently, like something's wrong, and it's beginning to piss me off! Is it because you don't want to write any more Nikki Heat? Is it because you don't want to come to the crime scenes anymore?"

"No. Nothing like that," Castle fiddled with his hands.

"Then what is it? If it's something I did, please just tell me, but for god's sake, stop being so quiet! It's irritating."

"You mean you've gotten used to me talking all the time?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "That's not the point."

Now Castle grinned widely. "It's true! You want me talking! I'll have to remind you of that the next time you complain about it!"

"We're still not finished here. I'm still waiting for an explanation."

"Alright." Castle took a deep breath. "Am I really that bad?"

"What?"

"You know, am I really that much of a burden to you?"

She shook her head in disbelief, "I really don't know how you can actually think that way!"

"Well, what am I supposed to think?" Castle got slightly louder. "At first you act as if you would actually miss me a bit, but then you nearly yell at your captain, just because I'm back. Some clarity would be great for a change."

"I'm always complaining about you, Castle, so what's the big deal now?"

"It's just... If you want me gone, I'll tell the mayor I have enough research."

"And what if I don't?"

Castle's eyes twinkled again. "Then I'm staying of course. And I'll remind you of that every time you complain about me."

Beckett sighed. She knew she'd probably regret this soon, but it had to be said. She wouldn't tell him how much he actually meant to her just now, but if she wanted him to stay, she had to say something.

"It's definitely not that I want you to leave. It's just... I don't really like it when things are decided over my head. Especially things that concern me. Also, I don't like surprises. The thing right now was a combination of both, that's why I reacted that way."

That was not entirely true, but hopefully enough to satisfy him. Judging by the look on his face, it was definitely enough.

"You can just say it. You'd miss me."

And back was the old Castle.

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just realized that I haven't posted in a while - so here it comes: The next chapter! I have a couple more finished so if I don't forget it (again), you'll have some by next week!**

**Also, the Castle ficathon might end today, but I will still finish my story - my plan was a chapter for each episode, after all! And with the new episodes coming soon (3 days! I'm so excited!), there might be an extension... Since Uni starts in less than a month, I will also have boring classes that give me time to write^^**

**As always, I hope you like this chapter, and if you do, follow, favorite and review!**

**K xx**


	16. Chapter 16

2x06 - Vampire Weekend

Detective Beckett managed to stay in the small group consisting of Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and Castle for about seven minutes and twenty seconds - not that she was counting the seconds - but then, she placed the Raven on a small table and excused herself. Thankfully, no one disturbed her on her way to the bathroom, although she had to hide behind a very big Frankenstein when she saw a guy in a too tight cop outfit coming in her direction. That wasn't what she needed right now.

Inside the clean room - someone obviously had tidied up for the party because not even a shampoo stood in the shower, she took off her coat and got rid of that ridiculous thing around her chest. It had been Esposito's idea and she would have declined, if he hadn't managed to find the required accessory in a shop around the corner. When she got back from her coffee break, it sat on her table, staring at her with those ridiculous eyes. She simply hadn't been able to resist - the look on Castle's face had absolutely been worth it. But it was getting uncomfortable now and so she was taking it off. What a relief.

The only remaining question was what she was going to say when someone asked her about her costume, because the answer 'a detective' wouldn't be satisfying enough. Any recognizable fantasy heroine was no option either, same as a comic book hero. Why did everyone have to wear ridiculous outfits in those movies? She needed something where people dressed normal, maybe something with undercover stuff? No, not police again, that would get awkward if people asked her about her profession. Some kind of disguise…

Then it hit her.

It was perfect and no one would laugh. A small part of her brain told her that Castle would be proud of her if she told him what her 'costume' was, but she quickly shut that down. She had a party to attend.

With way more confidence than before, she strode out of the bathroom and to the drinks table. A variety of bright coloured liquors stood there and she instinctively reached for a bowl with red punch in the middle of everything.

"I should warn you about that particular one," a voice behind her suddenly said. "I made it myself and it's not exactly light."

Martha Rodgers, holding a glass of the same punch she was talking about, stood behind her. "Um, thank you for the warning, Martha!" Beckett said and went back to the selection of drinks. She studied them quickly, and turned back to Martha.

"Could you maybe tell me which ones are actually safe?"

Martha raised her eyebrows. "Or," Beckett added, realizing none of those would be really safe, "which one won't give me a bad headache tomorrow?"

The older woman chuckled. "Don't worry, my dear, we do have non-alcoholic ones. Richard respects those who either have to work tomorrow or who want to be able to drive back home, so he has them in the kitchen."

She led the way and Beckett, despite knowing where the kitchen was, followed her.

"Why are they in the kitchen?" she asked.

"Well, I said Richard respects those people enough to prepare non-alcoholic drinks. I never said he tells them about it!" Martha rounded the counter and gave Beckett a glass with a light orange coloured liquid. Small pieces of fruit were swimming at the top and when she took it, she didn't smell any alcohol.

"Thank you, Mar…" she wanted to say, but Martha was already gone, walking over to an elderly man with period clothing. Beckett smiled to herself. She couldn't help but like Castle's mother. She took a small sip of her drink, still a tiny little bit suspicious, but Martha had been right. This one was absolutely alcohol-free.

"Do you really think my gram would try to make you drunk when you ask for non-alcoholic?" A new voice said.

"Alexis!" Beckett was surprised to see the teenager also not in costume.

"Don't mind me, Detective, I just came to get something to drink. And I can assure you, what you're drinking is only fruit. See?" Castle's daughter lifted a glass filled with the same liquid that Beckett was holding in her hand.

"Thank you, Alexis," Beckett said. "And I'm not accusing Martha of trying to make me drunk, I was just still a bit suspicious. I've had my experience with parties like these."

Alexis grinned. "It's okay. But I've got to go back to my room, I'm almost done with the book I'm reading for class!"

She waved and disappeared up the stairs. Beckett shook her head, wondering once again how Castle had managed to raise such a responsible girl, but her thoughts were interrupted by a policeman with a uniform that seemed about 4 sizes too small.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," he started and swayed a little. Beckett groaned internally. Great. A drunk police officer.

"No problem, I was just about to go over there anyway." She pointed in the direction of Castle's study but she couldn't get rid of the guy that easily.

"I'll accompany you!" He offered her his arm which Beckett deliberately ignored.

"Wow, something must have happened to you, or why are you so cold?"

Huh. Apparently he did notice something. Beckett stopped and turned to face the guy. "To be honest, I'm only doing a friend a favor by being here, and I am most certainly not in the mood to chat with random strangers in tights!"

A smug grin appeared on the guys face. "I'm Kevin." He held out his hand but quickly got tired of holding it in front of her and pulled it back. "Since I'm not a stranger anymore, and not wearing tights, seriously, a woman should know the difference between tights and leggings, why don't we chat?"

"Listen, Kevin, why don't you go over there and entertain the lovely nurse. She'll be more interested in what you have to say than me."

Kevin followed her gaze and his eyes lit up as he saw the nurse Beckett had spoken of - clearly drunk and, judging from the way she posed, pretty desperate. He shrugged.

"Yeah, why not. It's not as fun if the other person isn't wearing a costume anyway."

"I am wearing a costume!" Beckett said but Kevin was already halfway across the room, trying to make eye contact with the nurse.

"You are wearing a costume?" Beckett closed her eyes. Great. That was exactly the person she didn't want to see right now.

"Are you surprised?" She turned around and raised her eyebrows. "I'm not one to show up at a costume party without a costume! Especially not when it's your costume party, Castle!"

"Very interesting, Detective. And what, if I may ask, is your costume?" Castle quickly inspected her outfit to check if there was any indicator as to who she portrayed. Beckett hesitated. Should she really tell him? But then, she thought, he'd probably be the one who'd love that costume idea the most.

"I'm…" She took a deep breath, "I'm an alien trying to disguise itself as a human."

Castle's surprised grin quickly turned into an excited one. "Your costume is an alien from Men in Black? Best costume ever!"


	17. Chapter 17

2x07 - Famous Last Words

As they stood there at the concert, remembering Haley, holding candles, Beckett felt kind of content at a memorial. This was a very strange feeling, she had avoided funerals and memorials in the best way she could since her mother's and now, she hadn't even argued when Castle had asked her to join him for the concert. She kept telling herself that she was only here for Skye, to show the young woman that she had made the right decision, but she knew that wasn't the real reason, especially not when she glanced sideways and saw Castle comforting Alexis.

Unconsciously, she smiled, remembering how her mother had done a similar thing when one of her favorite actors had died. Little Kate Beckett was ten years old and devastated to hear about Guy William's death, she had started crying in the morning and refused to go to school. He had been her childhood hero and although he hadn't been in any production since before she discovered him, she had watched everything he had ever shot.

Her mother, seeing how upset her daughter was, took a day off work and watched the TV series Zorro with her all day. They had cuddled on the couch, and ended up in the same position that Castle and Alexis were in right now. Beckett hadn't realized how close she was standing to Castle, she must have moved closer towards him at some point so when she shifted, her hand brushed his. Without letting go of Alexis, Castle closed his hand around Beckett's and she froze.

Since that was the only thing he did, though, it was probably just a reflex action so Beckett decided to keep it uncommented. If he didn't know what he was doing, it was unlikely that he would make any kind of comment if she just held her hand still. A small part of her told her that she didn't want to move her hand because it felt good and warm but like so often, she ignored that.

Shortly before the last refrain of the song, Skye sought the Detective's eye once again. Beckett smiled and Skye winked at her before grabbing the microphone and starting to sing. She sounded so different from the drug-addicted girl that had yelled at her dead sister in the morgue and Beckett even saw a small tear in the corner of her eye. At least, she would remember her sister in a good way, and that was the best way to start a new life. Beckett really hoped Skye would make it.

Suddenly, Castle squeezed her hand and she looked up. He was still holding Alexis but his eyes were fixed on Beckett. Well, there went the hope that she could slip her hand out of his unnoticed. Fortunately, this also meant that she could now take a well measured step away from him and get her hand back. Castle's grin widened but he didn't say anything. That was odd, normally, he wouldn't let an opportunity like that pass. But then, the song ended and Beckett was busy applauding. She hadn't noticed that Castle had let go of Alexis and was therefore startled when he took her hand again.

"What are you doing, Castle?" She yanked her hand out of his.

He shrugged. "I just thought since you didn't say anything before, you might like it!"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Just for your information: if I liked it, you would know." With that, she turned back to the stage, where Skye had just started another song. She was very determined not to think about Castle - which was fortunate for him, because even though he pretended to focus on the band, he didn't take his eyes off her.

However, that song also came to an end, and while clapping, Beckett turned her head and found Castle staring at her.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes.

"You have a very beautiful voice, Detective", he stated.

"Um, thank you?" Beckett was startled. How could he know she liked to sing? He couldn't, unless… Her eyes widened. "Was I singing along?"

"As a matter of fact, you were."

"Aren't you here with your daughter?" Beckett asked, trying to hide her blush. "Why don't you go to her?"

Castle looked over his shoulder to find his daughter chatting with a girl behind them. "I'd rather stay. Especially, if you start singing along to the next song, too."

"You do realize that's not going to happen, now that I know you're listening."

"Well… You didn't exactly realize you were singing the last time, so I think I'm good."

Beckett groaned. "I'm not getting rid of you, right?"

"If you put it that way, no." Castle grinned.

"Alright, I'm not starting a fight in a crowd of people." Beckett sighed but then her eyes snapped back at him. "But if you tell Ryan and Esposito a single word of this, you're dead!"


	18. Chapter 18

2x08 - Kill The Messenger

Martha Rodgers certainly didn't do things by half. She earned some appreciative whistles from a group of men when she crossed the street to get to her cab, but for once in her life, she didn't care. Why should she, she was on her way to a date that would probably more than amazing, and she wasn't aiming for anything.

She was so deep in thoughts that she didn't even notice the cab driver's look as he opened the door for her - thoughts about Chet and about the old times. The entire cab ride, she spent reliving dates, kisses in the park with the moon shining down, and the discussion that lead to their break up. They shouldn't have given up that easily.

But all too soon, she arrived at the address Chet had given her and was not at all surprised when she saw the elegant yet cozy vegetarian restaurant. This was just what she would have expected - had she expected anything. She walked towards the door but before she could reach it, an all too familiar voice called her name.

"Martha! I'm over here!"

Martha turned around and walked across the street, a genuine smile on her face. Chet sat on a bench and stood up when she came closer. Next to him lay a gorgeous bouquet of lilies, roses and sunflowers - normally a pretty weird mix but just perfect for Martha. He picked it up, handed it to her and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Chet. You shouldn't have." Martha took the flowers and even blushed a little.

"Yes, I should. I'm seeing you again after so many years, that deserves flowers." He offered her his arm.

"Aren't we going to the restaurant?" Martha asked, pointing back to the vegetarian across the street.

Chet lightly shook his head. "Not now. It's still early, and I thought we might take a walk first, like we did in high school. I can't remember a single date where we didn't take a walk before dinner."

They started walking away from the restaurant and Martha, who usually didn't really like walks, she frequently told her son, walking was for 'old people', but she found that she actually enjoyed this.

"You must admit, your memory is getting worse," she said as they rounded the next street corner.

"How so?" Chet asked, with a slight twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle that Martha had first fallen in love with.

"How can you not remember the one date where we were so hungry that we went to the pizza place before meeting your parents?"

Chet laughed. "You're so right, Martha. Now I remember my parents finding us happily eating pizza slices when they had made reservations at that really expensive restaurant. They were so angry!"

"And then we were the ones that ate the leftovers of your parents!"

"Right!" Chet stopped to look at her. "My mother never admitted it, but she really liked you."

Martha smiled, "Yes, I thought so. No offense, but she was a terrible actress!"

"The dramatic talent was always reserved to you."

"Yes, well, you were the one always dragging me to auditions."

"I saw your talent. And was it so bad?"

"No. In fact, I'm very thankful." Martha squeezed his arm. "But let's not talk about the old times any more. They are in the past. What are you doing right now?"

By the time they got back to the restaurant, Martha was laughing so hard that Chet had to grab her arm to prevent her from falling down.

"I cannot believe your son did that!"

Chet shrugged. "What can I say? But from what I hear about your son, in comparison mine is really a good kid!" He opened the door of the restaurant and led them inside.

The rest of the evening was full of laughter, old stories and confessions of things they both did wrong in their careers, and when Chet took her to a dance club, Martha didn't object. She even let Chet lead on the dance floor - something she hadn't let someone do since Richard's graduation. To her pleasant surprise, Chet also hadn't learned to dance in the years they hadn't seen each other. He stepped on her shoes several times, apologized far too much, and nearly knocked off the glasses of a stern looking woman next to them. As a conclusion, they left and Chet called them a taxi.

"I really am glad we met today, Martha." He said when they were sitting in the cab. "You have to tell me some time who persuaded you to do it."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked with a side glance.

"The Martha I know wouldn't have met a guy she last saw in high school," Chet chuckled.

"So obviously, someone got to you, and I'd like to know who it was."

"Maybe I just changed," Martha suggested.

Chet just shook his head. "No, you haven't. That's why I'm so glad for this evening. It was exactly what I needed."

"Well, I won't use the same words now, but…" Martha leaned over and gave Chet a soft kiss, "but I certainly wouldn't object to a repetition of tonight. You have my number now - call me!"

She got out, closed the door and waved after the cab until it disappeared. Chet wasn't right. Martha Rodgers definitely had changed, if only for one evening.


	19. Chapter 19

2x09 - Love Me Dead

Castle ate his ice cream as fast as possible and then left his daughter in front of the TV - one of those teenage romances was on and she probably wouldn't miss him anyway. But instead of writing a bit, like he had told his daughter, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

"What is it, Castle, the fun stuff is over!"

He could almost hear the eye roll but decided not to comment on it. "Actually, I was looking for some advice."

"Advice? What advice could you possible need from me?"

"You're a woman!"

Beckett huffed. "Wow, that is really an impressive observation, Castle."

"No… you…"

"Castle, I don't have all day, I still have to fill out that paperwork." She was starting to get annoyed.

"Would you talk to Alexis again?" He managed to get out, constantly checking the door to see if Alexis was still focused on her movie.

"What?"

"I mean, you talked to her about that exchange program…" He started and let the sentence trail off.

"Castle, please hurry up or think again and call me later, I really don't want to waste my time and ask for every single word!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Castle sighed.

"Okay, Castle, I don't think this call will be of much use. If you've got something to say, meet me at the little Thai place near the precinct in an hour. I should be finished by then."

"Alright, I'll be there."

Beckett hung up and shook her head. This was so typical Castle, selling thousands of novels but not finding the right words in a normal conversation.

She was pretty curious as to how Alexis had decided, of course, but that could wait until later. Maybe she wouldn't even have to ask, from what that call had told her, Castle was worried about something to do with his daughter - and that meant he wouldn't stop talking that soon. She took the top file from her pile and started working. Knowing Castle, he would be here in less than 50 minutes and if she didn't want to get into work at 5 am the next day, she should really start.

As predicted, Castle stood next to her desk exactly 48 minutes later, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. Beckett took it and pointed at the chair next to her desk.

"I still need about five minutes. You can wait that long."

Without complaining, Castle sat down - and that worried Beckett. Normally, he wouldn't behave like that, so he either had a very serious or very ridiculous topic to talk about. Knowing him, it would probably be a bit of both. She managed to finish the remaining paperwork without being distracted by Castle - another unusual thing - and went with him to the Thai. Ever since they had discovered it about five weeks ago, it had become a favorite for late night dinners at the precinct, always with the right amount of spices to keep them awake.

When they had ordered, Beckett sat the writer down and faced him.

"So, what's so important? I'm not sure what exactly is going on and I would definitely prefer it if you could just tell me what happened. The short version please."

For the first time since he came into the precinct, Castle looked into her eyes.

"You talked to Alexis about the exchange program."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did. And you already said that when you called me earlier."

"Well, she decided against it. She said she'd rather be here on my birthday than spending it somewhere in France."

"Castle, I still don't know what you want from me." Interesting. His daughter had decided against the opportunity - she definitely had to talk to the girl again.

"I'm coming to it."

They were shortly interrupted by the arrival of their food but Beckett didn't touch it and focused on Castle, showing him she was ready to listen. He sighed. "She said she'd looked into some colleges and since you influenced her so greatly with the exchange program, I was wondering if you could talk to her and say something so she won't pick anything too drastic."

Oh. So that was what it was all about. Beckett chuckled a little. "I'm sorry, Castle, but I don't think I can make her pick a college you like!"

"No, you don't have to do that, just… I don't want her to go far away."

"How far are we talking about?" Beckett raised her eyebrows.

"Oxford," Castle mumbled into his food.

"Well, I can't say that I have any arguments against Oxford, it's a great university!" Beckett also took her fork and started eating. "But let me give you some advice."

Castle's attention was suddenly focused on her again.

"She's not going to college for another two years. Let her dream a little and let her figure out what's best for herself. Knowing Alexis, it probably won't be Oxford."

"You mean, I should… let go of that subject?"

Beckett nodded. "Haven't you heard of the saying 'teenage girls always want the opposite of what their parents want'?"

Castle seemed to think about this for a short time, and when his eyes got this little twinkle in them, Beckett groaned internally. The seriousness was over and he would provide her with a stupid comment that left her wanting to kill him instantly.

Sure enough, he leaned closer. "So, is this the moment when you finally tell me some of your embarrassing childhood stories?"


	20. Chapter 20

2x10 - One Man's Treasure

When Anna Knowles left, Beckett stood in the break room, watching Castle and his daughter. This was one of the things she was glad to know about him: that he was a great father. He might be immature and annoying, but with his daughter, he was caring, understanding and always seemed to be exactly what she needed.

Just like now.

He didn't say anything, just stood up and pulled his daughter into a hug. Alexis closed her eyes and hugged him back, murmuring something that made Castle smile. Beckett busied herself with making coffee, she almost felt like an intruder in this moment between father and daughter. That was why she didn't notice Alexis coming to the break room and she almost spilled her coffee over her hands when she saw the girl.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Detective Beckett," Alexis said as she noticed the coffee on the table.

"It's alright, Alexis," Beckett shook her head. "I was just not paying attention. Can I help you in any way?"

Alexis nodded shyly. "Well, it was just an idea, and you don't even have to say yes, I just thought…"

Beckett smiled. "It won't make it better if you keep dancing around the actual topic. Just ask me!"

"Um, dad said he'd take me out to the café with, and I quote, 'the best chocolate cake in New York', and I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

Oh, wow, that wasn't what Beckett had expected.

"Before you ask, that wasn't his idea, I just thought maybe you'd like that, and dad is paying so…", Alexis added quickly when Beckett didn't answer and that made the older woman laugh.

"Don't worry Alexis, I'd love to join you actually. This is a nice idea." She dumped her coffee cup in the sink and went out. Castle already stood there in his coat.

"I take it you're joining us, Detective?"

Beckett nodded. "Who can say no to the best chocolate cake in New York?"

Castle grinned and helped his daughter into her coat. "I knew it! You're secretly a chocoholic!"

"What a surprise, Castle, you're only getting this now?" Beckett rolled her eyes and went to fetch her jacket.

When she saw the town car waiting in front of the precinct, she was almost on her way to the garage to fetch her Crown Vic, but Alexis just pulled her inside.

"I could have driven there myself," she protested half-heartedly.

"You could have, but it's difficult to find a parking space there," Castle said as he slips in behind the two women. "It's easier that way."

Beckett sighed and leaned back. Now she couldn't even find a legit reason for not accepting a town car. The ride was silent, Alexis seemed to be a bit tired and leaned on Castle's shoulder and Beckett didn't want to interrupt, so she just sat there and stared out of the window. They arrived at the café and Beckett was surprised to find out that it was just around the corner from her apartment. "I never knew there was a café here!", she said, turning around to Castle.

He shrugged. "You should pay more attention sometimes."

They went in and found a small table for three that was just being cleared. Beckett and Alexis sat down while Castle took all their jackets and then went to the counter to order.

"You'll both love this," he promised when he came back to the table. "I've never tasted a better chocolate cake!"

Beckett hid a smirk. She was going to wait until she had actually tasted that cake but she was pretty sure it was not the best chocolate cake. There was only one, and the receipt for it was guarded by the women of the Beckett family, passed down from mother to daughter. To be honest, she hadn't made that cake in years, but it would still be better than the one in this café.

Finally, the waiter arrived with three plates and three mugs - two coffee and one hot chocolate, as far as Beckett could see it - and placed them on the table. Both Castle and Alexis immediately started eating the cake, and Alexis closed her eyes. "Dad, you were right, this is absolutely delicious!"

"Aren't you going to try it?" Castle asked Beckett, who still looked at her piece and compared it to her mother's cake. This one was bigger and looked more perfect - but that didn't mean it would taste better.

She took her fork and ate a small piece, under the suspicious eyes of the two Castles. Wow. Certainly delicious, a rich chocolatey flavor but still not too rich… But she couldn't help but notice certain things that were wrong, a tiny bit of cinnamon was missing, it was too much cocoa… Almost relieved, she smiled. Her chocolate cake was still the best.

"So?" Castle asked and Beckett looked up. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't here by herself. "Is it as good as I promised?"

Beckett raised her eyebrows. "I have to admit this is really, really good. Probably the best one you can buy in a café in New York."

"See, I told you so, this is…" He hesitated. "Wait, you said, this is the best you can buy."

"I did. Where's the problem?"

"You didn't say it was the best cake." Now he looked almost disappointed.

"Yes, because although this is amazing, there is definitely a better cake." Beckett smiled and Alexis' eyes widened. Good, the girl had understood. Time to have some fun with her father.

"So what do you say, Alexis," Beckett leaned over to the girl, "how about a girl's night next Saturday?"

Alexis looked over to her dad, then winked. "Sure, I'd love to!"

"Can I come too?"

Both women eyed Castle suspiciously, then Alexis noted, "Dad, she didn't ask you, of course you can't come!"

"Besides," Beckett added, "there are some things that can only be told to girls. That's why it's called girl's night."

He pouted, with little success which made Alexis whisper in his ear:

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all the important things anyway."

A/N: I'm a bit in a hurry, that's why you're getting a whole bunch of chapters right now without further ado... I hope you enjoy them, if you do, follow, favorite, review!

Thanks to The-KLF for editing all those chapters!

K xx


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